HTC Desire 22 Pro is an HTC Phone in Name Only

A case study on how hard and foolish it is to revive a dead brand

Years ago, if you wanted a beautifully designed Android phone with a full feature set there were not many options. Samsung and LG were entrenched in their plastic era and Google’s Nexus phones were decidedly hit or miss. The days of Android design were dominated by HTC with its One series of smartphones. Where Samsung felt cheap, HTC felt premium. Where Google software had a minimalist approach, HTC offered functionality with powerful features. But after a series of missteps, the company sold off much of its smartphone talent to Google’s Pixel division as it focused on the emerging virtual reality sector. But the company is back with a new smartphone, the HTC Desire 22 Pro. This is a half-hearted return by a company that used to define smartphone design trends and instead is now an afterthought.

New Isn’t Always Better

HTC’s new phone is a fine offering. It checks a lot of boxes that people are looking for in a midrange phone in 2022. A big screen with a high refresh rate, a decently powerful mid-range processor, and support for 5G. But it feels so uninspired. This…